'Sorry' Sants says he never wanted top job

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Hector Sants, chief executive of the Financial Services Authority (FSA), said yesterday he was "talked into" applying for the most senior post at the regulator as he apologised for the failure of RBS.

Sants made the claim during a Treasury Select Committee session in which he, FSA chairman Lord Turner and director Margaret Cole gave evidence on the near-collapse of RBS. In response to questions about his own role at the regulator, Sants said he had no ambition to become the chief executive when he joined the FSA as managing director of wholesale and institutional markets in 2004. He said he did not think his predecessor John Tiner would leave in 2007 and that he had not planned to apply for the job. However, Sants said he was "talked into" applying for the chief executive role a...

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